Chicken Vindaloo

A popular Indian chicken curry cooked with vinegar and potatoes. When I think of Indian meat curries, Chicken Tikka Masala is the first that comes to my mind. Its our family favorite. But my folks love this Goan Chicken Vindaloo too, which has a Portuguese influence.

Ingredients:
Boneless Chicken - about 2 pounds
Potato - 1 medium
Onion - 1 big
Canned Tomato Paste - 2 tbsp (optional)
Dry Red Chilies - 6
Vinegar - 1/2 cup
Ginger - 1 inch piece
Garlic - 4 big cloves
Cumin/Jeera Seeds - 1/2 tsp
Kabab Masala or any spice mix - 1/2 tsp
Oil - 2 tbsp
Salt

How to cook Indian Chicken Vindaloo Curry:

• Soak red chilies in vinegar for about 30 minutes. Soaking will help in grinding chilies to a fine paste. Add more or less chilies to suit your taste. I used mild Byadagi Red chilies, popular for its bright red color.
• Grind soaked chilies with vinegar, canned tomato paste, ginger and garlic to a smooth paste. Add little water if required. You can use one medium size tomato as a substitute for tomato paste.
• Dice the chicken into 1 inch cubes. Marinate the chicken in the ground paste for about 30 minutes.
• Finely chop onions. Peel the potato skin and dice it into bite size pieces.  Keep the potatoes in a bowl of water to avoid darkening.
• Heat about 2 tbsp oil in a pan. Add cumin seeds and after few seconds, add onions. Sauté until onions turn soft. Now add marinated chicken and sauté for a minute or so. Add 1/2 cup water and potatoes. Stir and cook it covered at low flame for about 5 minutes.
• Lastly, add salt and kabab masala. Cook it covered until potatoes and chicken are cooked or until you get the desired consistency.

Serve Chicken Vindaloo with bread, roti, naan, bhakri or rice. Tastes best with a dash of lemon and raw onions.